The Hat (Episode 33)
by grandvizier527
Summary: The Titan crew acquired some documents from the moon base from the last episode, but they have no way of reading them because they're all written in Mutradi-despite suspiciously having titles in English. The solution comes in the form of another Mutradi-the latest in a long line to be sent to earth against their will, but the first to be mad enough to rebel against his master.
1. Ranaron

The Hat

T

A frog-like Mutradi took a washcloth and tried to wipe the dirt off of Modula's throne. His name was Ranaron, and he served his master out of what could only be described as submission and unalterable loyalty.

The General had stopped sitting here after a while, giving Ranaron ample to time to clean the whole throne room. After he finished polishing the seat and armrests Ranaron took a look around the rest of the room. Dusty, dirty, and definitely in need of more work. And so Ranaron started his work on the floor, even cleaning under the rugs.

The post-coup throne room was nothing like it was in its former glory; even Ranaron knew this although he had never seen the palace before the war had started. He was moved here until after it was confirmed that the Royalist Resistance—so the true king of Galaluna and his troops were called—was driven underground. The room's dimensions were deliberately made large in order to give one the sense of awe necessary when in the presence of a king—at least that's what Ranaron had assumed. Mutradi had never had a monarchy up until recently, and if one could call it that than it was a pretty shabby one. But Ranaron kept that thought to himself. On the ceiling where 2 giant glass windows meant to let sunlight shine directly down on the throne during the day, and lights were turned on with the flick of a switch at night. Ever since the coup, however, Modula had kept the lights off to "divert energy from luxury to our troops". And the windows meant to let in sunlight now bathed the throne with a hazy orange tint. During and after the coup, devices had been installed that emitted various gases from the Mutradi atmosphere into Galaluna's, giving the sky an orange color instead of its usual green. This had been done in an effort to modify Galaluna's climate so that it could better support Mutradi. Quite a few had some trouble adjusting to the oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, while others were hardly unaffected. Ranaron's species was one such unaffected Mutradi, so seeing the sky go from green to orange made him feel that his fellow Mutradi were violating Galaluna's climate by forcing it to change for them. The Galalunan people, meanwhile, seem to have no trouble breathing in this altered atmosphere since the Mutradi atmosphere actually had more oxygen. And the levels of Radon were rather low, so they wouldn't have to worry too much about radiation poisoning. Or at least that's what Ranaron told himself when he began to worry about the plight of the humans.

Ranaron had just finished cleaning the throne room when Modula appeared. Ranaron had never seen him so angry. It was probably about the moon base being destroyed. It was a good thing Modula had access to the royal treasury, otherwise such things would take a toll financially. Ranaron tried to ignore him and continue with his work, but without warning Modula grabbed Ranaron and turned him around to face him.

"I was only cleaning the throne room, my master," Ranaron croaked meekly. Perhaps Modula would come to see reason and show him mercy?

"What an obedient servant you are. Never getting into trouble, always doing as you're told. Your life certainly is lowly and pathetic, but it has its perks."

"What good could possibly come of my meager existence, master?" Ranaron knew that Modula would appreciate it if he showed humility and docility. But unexpectedly, Modula gritted his teeth. He was probably also scowling too, but Ranaron couldn't tell because Modula's hat was over his eyebrows and eyes.

"Don't be like that. I can see right through your poor disguise. I know the contempt you have for me. You're beginning to question your own loyalty to me." Ranaron tried not to show any fear, but he presumed that his trembling gave himself away.

"Nonsense! I am very loyal to you!" Ranaron insisted.

"No, Ranaron. You're not capable of absolute loyalty. Not like the mindless Nephilimites, or any of the Mega Beasts. You have a brain that can't be subdued as easily. But I'll do what I can…" at this Modula's eye shot forth green lightning that zapped at Ranaron.

"…to make you as much a slave as the others."

Ranaron winced as the lightning hit him. It was quite painful at first, but as the electricity danced on his skin it became more of a stinging sensation.

"So you are more loyal than I thought. I apologize," Modula said, looking into Ranaron's eyes. For such a great general to lower his head and look at a servant was quite the act of humility. Ranaron nodded.

"I harbor no rebellious intentions," Ranaron said. It was partially true; his loyalty to Modula had made him obedient and docile. The fact that his species wasn't meant for combat like most of the others made him even less of a threat.

"Of course you don't. However, there is a slight problem." Modula said as he zapped more lightning at Ranaron. Now the frog Mutradi could feel himself growing lethargic, and he began to look at Modula in a new light; this man controlled the shocks. Ranaron knew that his loyalty was holding Modula back from using a lethal amount, and if he were completely loyal he could mitigate the pain almost completely.

"How can there be any problems when I obey you wholeheartedly, master?" The words seemed to just slip out of his mouth; just a second ago he would have sucked up to Modula this much.

"I'm all out of monsters." Ranaron's eyes widened when he realized exactly what Modula meant by that. But he closed his mouth in a subdued silence as Modula dragged him away.


	2. The Reveal

Chapter 2

It had been a just a few days since the space station had been destroyed, but the school schedule had gone on uninterrupted. As the group filed out of Octus' van (Octus had driven the car in his Mr. Lunis hologram but had placed a Newton hologram in the back, which he would make disappear upon arrival so he could "become" Newton), Ilana turned to look at Lance.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. Lance smiled at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I told you, Arthur didn't die in vain."

"I know. But Octus said you might…realize what happened with Arthur…that he died."

"I already know that. I'm at peace with it," Lance reassured her as they walked off to school. As he left her Octus sidled up to her.

"His brain is stable, and so are his emotions. I'm beginning to conclude that a relapse into a more conventional state of grief is unlikely for Lance," Octus told Ilana.

"It just doesn't make much sense to me, though. Maybe I would understand if I went through what he did…not that I want to."

"Perhaps. I sense something is troubling you, Ilana. You are afraid of an inevitable confrontation." Ilana knew Octus was looking into her mind. She didn't want him figuring out that her starbecue class had been the ones to upload the map into him back when they needed it on the space station.

"It's nothing. I'm just…nervous about seeing Jason again," she told him.

"I believe I already know what happened," Octus replied. Ilana gasped.

"You know?! Knew?! About Jason?! Oh, Octus, I'm so, so, sorry I told somebody! I promise I didn't say everything!"

"Do not worry. This was inevitable as we each came to have our own groups of friends on Earth. In fact, I have already told Kimmy—partially at least. I explained that we control Titan remotely from home—to explain all the times 'had to use the bathroom.'"

"Oh. I told him that we _transform into _the robots and _combine _to make Titan…but I didn't say anything about Galaluna or Modula or the coup!"

"It is good that you did not reveal everything, but there is a problem; our stories contradict each other in terms of how we control the robots."

"You're right. What do we do?"

"The solution is simple; if Kimmy meets up with Jason and they discuss these things, then I will simply explain that we have since modified Titan so that we now pilot it directly."

"Ok! That's the story we're going with, then?"

"Yes. But it is not a 'story' so much as it is the truth with some information being partially withheld."

The two then stopped talking and caught up to Lance.

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Octus was just giving me some tips on some homework. I wasn't able to finish it last night so now I have to finish it during study hall and see if I can get done there," Ilana explained. Lance rolled his eyes at her and stifled a grin.

"You really need to stop worrying about stupid things like school. It doesn't amount to anything, you know." Ilana was about to protest and explain that it _did _amount to something when Octus reminded her:

"It is imperative that Lance is not made aware of what we have revealed and who we have revealed it to. He may not be so receptive of the idea of even a few people knowing just a fraction of our secret."

"I know! Now let's stop talking about it!" And so the two broke off and avoided Lance, practically scurrying to class. Lance, however, met with Kristen by his locker, immediately greeting her with a kiss.

"Thank goodness you're still here. Everybody else is just…going crazy," he told her.

"How so? What did they do to make you crazy?" Kristen asked.

"They're worried about me. A friend of mine from a long time ago died. They think I'm going to be all upset or something, but I'm not."

"Well, just don't freak out on them and then they'll quit worryin'. Who was this friend?"

"You never knew him. Explaining him and how he died would be…difficult," Lance told her, thinking back to when Arthur died. He decided not to dwell on that too much and focus his mind on reality and the girl in front of him.

Later after class, Ilana encountered Jason in the hallways. To her relief, Mark and Gregory were not with him. When Jason saw her, he stared at her almost blankly.

"Jason…well, now you know." Ilana couldn't think of anything to say to him. What could she say to someone who could barely take all of this in? Jason took a deep breath—he too was unsure what to say—and tried to just let the words say themselves.

"I wish you had told all of this to me sooner. Believe me, I would have understood. Well, maybe not completely, but I would have done whatever I could to help you adjust to Earth life. You didn't have to go through this alone. And the fact that you and your whole 'family' has to go out and fight those aliens…that worries me. I don't want you to die! So if there's ANYTHING I can do to help you in this, just let me know."

"Jason, you have every right to be worried. But you can understand why I wanted to keep things a secret, right?"

"I guess so. I just wish you had told _somone, _like me. Were you ever planning on doing that?"

"Yes, sort of. After what you saw at our date, I knew I couldn't hide things anymore. I had written out that email and sent to you guys when I needed it, figuring that if I needed some outside help you and your classmates would be quite useful for that." Jason wanted to ask how Ilana was able to send this email when she was on the moon, but he decided it wasn't worth asking.

"Believe me, Jason," Ilana went on, "I wish I was just an ordinary girl with no secrets and didn't have to tell you anything. But my only two choices were to put myself in danger or protect myself for as long as I could."

"What do you mean, 'protect yourself'? From the aliens? Why are you so obsessed with protecting yourself from them?…Is there something you're not telling me?"

"I'm telling it to you now. I don't want the others to know, and if Lance and Octus knew I told you I don't know what they'd think. But I don't want to hide things from you anymore. You deserve the truth for having put up with me so much."

"Wait, let's go somewhere private," Jason suggested. So the two went into the gym, knowing that it would be safe for them to talk there. And so Ilana proceeded to tell her story, from beginning to end, about her life on Galaluna, the coup, and how and why she ended up here with Lance. She even divulged what she could about G3, but made she not to linger on the subject of Lance's father for too long. She also reminded him not to spread this information to anyone, not even the other starbecue kids. Predictably, Jason had many questions, but instead of avoiding them or not answering, Ilana was open and honest, willing to answer any question from what Galaluna was like to why and how Octus was actually a robot but also 2 people. When she was done, she asked Jason what he thought of everything.

"I want to say I'm shocked and surprised, but after everything that happened earlier, I'm not really surprised at all. It all makes perfect sense. Well, most of it, but all the questions I have are ones you said you didn't know the answer too. Like, how did this Modula guy turn evil right under your noses? And why are the Mutradi blindly following this man? And…what would your father think about me dating you?" Ilana laughed.

"I'd think he'd fine you a fine young man," she reassured him. Just then her watch beeped. It was Lance.

"Ilana, Octus found another Mutradi heading for Lake Sherman. This time it came the old fashioned way. Meet up with us out in the parking lot."

"Looks like you have to go," Jason remarked.

"Yeah. See you later," Ilana said, waving goodbye as she left the gym. "And I just want you to know…none of this affected the way I felt about you."

"Thanks. I'll try not to let it do that to me, either," Jason replied, leaving in the opposite direction. When Jason left the gym he was greeted by an eager Mark and Gregory.

"So, did she tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"About what it's like to be part robot?!"

"About the intricacies of her wristwatch and how it activates her robot body?!" Jason sighed.

"I don't think she knows how it works, she didn't invent it," he explained. That information wasn't too dangerous to leak, was it?

"Can you believe _she _was the robot the whole time? I never would have guessed!" Mark exclaimed.

"I know, right? I can't wait to tell Devon and prove him wrong!" Gregory added.

"Ok, guys, that's great. But she's not invincible, you know? She and the others are just regular people, deep down. They're not perfect or worthy of your undivided worship. If you see Ilana, just…treat her like a human being. And above all respect her privacy and keep the secrets she told us."

"We can do that! It's not like we have anyone to tell, anyway," Mark told him.

"Yeah. Say, who do you think is hotter; robot Ilana or human Ilana?" Gregory asked the boys.

"Human!" Mark blurted out.

"Robot!" Gregory cried. The two stared at each other as if the other was some sort of strange alien. Jason left the two of them alone to have their petty debate over the issue. Maribel saw Jason and asked, "How are you taking all this?" she could tell he was thinking of Ilana.

"I don't know. She feels relieved that all that weight is off her chest, but now she's put it all on me. I don't quite know how to react to it. Why couldn't she be more like you?"

"Like me? How so?"

"Just an ordinary girl. I think that's what she wants, deep down. But she'll never get it."


	3. Resistance

Titan flew over the city, watching as Sherman had rebuilt itself. Lately the Mutradi had stopped attacking the city and landed more often in rural areas, and the trio was thankful for that. Keeping civilians safe was become a major priority.

"So, what are we fighting this time?" Ilana asked her allies. She made sure not to have her thoughts on Jason and what she had told him, and Octus did so, too; their thoughts were partially shared while in Titan, and there was a good chance Lance would find out if they starting thinking things like, "I hope Lance doesn't find out!" Even when they "spoke" to each other it was really more like telepathy, although while they were inside Titan it sounded as if they were simply speaking.

"It appears to be an amphibian," Octus answered, "And quite similar to the frog species found on Earth. However, it's brain is much more highly developed."

"Usually these beasts are mindless. I hope we're not fighting something super-intelligent."

Titan hovered in place once it was above Lake Sherman.

"It's down there somewhere," Lance said, stating the obvious to coerce the others to go underwater. "Well? What are you guys waiting for?"

"Titan's aquatic combat abilities remain untested," Octus explained. Before he could elaborate, a giant tongue shot out of the water and wrapped itself around Titan, dragging it underwater with surprising force. The giant robot was shoved underwater before it could react and slammed to the lake floor. Titan could only watch as its latest opponent leaped through the water as if it were air, slamming its hands on Titan's chest to pin it down. It then proceeded to bash Titan with its fists as if it were a nothing more than a giant human. It also balled up the tip of its tongue and used it as if it were a third fist, hitting Titan in the face with surprising force.

"How much damage are we taking?" Lance asked Octus.

"Minimal, but frequent damage to the same place will add up," he warned.

"Ilana, the frog is attacking our chest. Fire up a laser and blast the thing off!" he told her. Ilana was going to do just that, but something made her stop: the giant frog's eyes seemed to look off distantly, as if it weren't aware that there was a giant robot in front of it and that it was trying to pound it to a pulp.

"No, wait. I don't think this monster knows what it's doing. Didn't you say it had a developed brain, Octus?"

"Yes, but it is not utilizing it well," the robot mused. "What alternate idea do you have?"

"So you're just going to let it pound us because you looked in the eye and it's supposed to be smart?!" Lance cried in confusion.

"No, you'll see! Just leave it to me!" Ilana told him. Letting her take over, Titan kneed Ranaron in the leg, stunning it enough so that Titan could knock it off its chest without using a laser. She then made Titan grab the frog monster's still outstretched tongue and took flight, dragging it by its long tongue until they were both out of the water. Titan then swung the monster in the air and let go of the tongue when it was over land, causing it to crash by the shore of the lake opposite the city. The frog monster recovered but looked dazed, and stared up at Titan blankly. Its tongue was too weak to be used, so it just stuck it back in its mouth and stared with empty eyes.

"Why is it not attacking?" Lance asked Ilana.

"If I did what I wanted to correctly, I roughed it up enough to realize that it doesn't really want to fight at all."

"That won't work!" Lance replied dismissively. But as he said this, the frog monster lowered its head until its chin touched the ground, as if it was trying to demonstrate its submission.

"Yes it is! See, he doesn't want to fight anymore!" Ilana declared.

"If that's true, then what do we do with it?" Lance asked. "Oh, I just had an idea! We could try sending it back through the Rift Gate to Galaluna. Maybe my dad's finished working on it."

"No, no! That's not a good idea at all!" Ilana countered.

Ranaron looked up at Titan with dread. He could tell why it wasn't doing anything; its pilots were deciding what to do with him. After the way he had attacked them, he assumed that they would just kill him like the other monsters. After all, how could he explain that he was doing this against his will, and that Modula's control was making him act like this? But perhaps if he showed shame for the battle, maybe they would spare him? He hoped that there was a chance that mercy would win out. But then a familiar voice echoed in his mind:

_Continue the battle, now, while Titan is vulnerable!_ Ranaron heard the command, but unlike the rest of the monsters Modula couldn't compel him to move on his own. From all the way on another planet, Ranaron could feel the electric shocks coming from Modula's hat, coursing through his body and mind. They told him to attack, and to do so would mean that the pain would stop.

But Ranaron had heard that before so many times that he decided now was a time to stop listening. It occurred to him that now that he was far away from Modula now; the General had much less control over him. He couldn't punish him for disobedience except to give him pain. And Ranaron had endured that a million times, so now he was used to it. What good was a punishment if it meant nothing? As he realized this, the pain began to fade, and he could feel himself be able to think again.

_No. I will not continue the battle. I do not wish to fight for you. I would rather die!_

_Just as I thought. What a loyal servant you turn out to be!_

And so Modula let Ranaron go, and he could finally find himself able to speak again. He listen to Titan's ongoing argument so that he could speak up at the right time:

"We should kill it or do something to it! It's just another mindless beast, even if it used to be something else!" Lance was arguing.

"I am a he, not an it," Ranaron replied, his voice deeper than usual due to his size. "And I believe I have reverted back to my normal self." Ilana smiled, and Lance's jaw would have dropped had he not actually been in a state of suspended animation.

"You can talk?!" Titan cried aloud through Lance.

"I will contact G3 to inform them of this development," Octus told the group. Seconds later Solomon spoke to Titan the same he would as if he was talking to just one member of it:

"We recognized this around the same time you did. Keep it—or, him—there. Edward's worked on something that could help be a bit more helpful." The Titan trio reverted to their solo robot forms. Lance was still cautious, but Ilana flew right up to Ranaron to talk to him.

"So, who are you exactly? And why were you able to break free from Modula when the others weren't?"

"I think I simply have a stronger will than they did. And I was mutated into the form you see now. Normally I was shorter than humans. I would very much like to revert to normal, but even if I can't I want to help you in some way."

"How?" all 3 asked.

"I'm not sure. I have a lot of knowledge of the war and Modula's plans, so that might be of interest to you. I also have an extensive knowledge of Mutradi la-" but before Ranaron could finish he suddenly fainted.


	4. Questioning

Chapter 4

Ranaron came to and found himself lying on his back. He raised his head, which apparently had been propped up on a pillow, and looked around, finding that he had been lying on a couch with a wooden table nearby. Evidently he was in an Earth home, but how had this happened? He distinctly remembered being a giant mutant, but everything up to now was blank.

"Welcome to the Lunis residence," Octus told the Mutradi. Ranaron jumped up with a start, and Octus and the others emerged from upstairs.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to scare you!" Ilana said sweetly. "How do you like the couch? Smooshy, isn't it?"

"Yes," Ranaron said softly, unnerved by the look Lance was giving him.

"Don't think about running away. G3 has this place on lock-down," Lance said as he pulled up a chair to sit across from Ranaron. "Now tell us everything you know that would be useful to us. Octus will know if you withhold information. Afterwards, we have an assignment for you. Failure to cooperate will result in—"

"Lance, I believe interrogation tactics are unnecessary," Octus argued. "The Mutradi was the one that offered to reveal information in the first place, before we even captured him. Judging by his thought patterns, he is perfectly willing to voluntarily tell us anything we would like to know. There is no need to threaten him with death."

"If you insist," Lance said, giving Octus a worried look before sitting down in the chair. Ilana went over to go and sit beside Ranaron, but Lance grabbed her arm.

"Let go, Lance!" Ilana commanded with as much authority in her tone as she could muster. "He doesn't have a weapon stashed away in some hidden organ. G3 searched him, remember?" Lance released her arm and she sat down next to Ranaron.

"Sorry about Lance," she said.

"It is understandable. I am quite familiar with soldiers on my planet. In comparison to them, Lance is quite gentle with a prisoner like me." Lance's eyes widened, and Ilana struggled to keep her lips from quivering with amusement. Even Octus' light seemed to flicker for a second.

"Guys, we need to start the interrogation—I mean start asking questions," Lance demanded, his face now in a grumpy expression. "Who are you and why did Modula send you? And what did you mean by having a stronger will than others?"

"My name is Ranaron Anra Salientia," Ranaron began. "And the reason Modula gave for sending me here is was that he was 'all out of monsters'. But I don't think this is the real reason. He has plenty more Mutradi that he can send if he wants to. He probably thought I was harboring thoughts against him. And with the way the Hat has altered his mind, only the slightest bit of suspicion would be needed to give him a good enough reason to send me hurtling through space."

"The Hat? What hat?" Ilana asked. "What's the Hat?"

"Is that what made Modula want to betray us and start the coup?" Lance asked. "Did the Mutradi brainwash him with it?"

"No, it was not that simple," Ranaron replied. "The Hat did not give Modula the desire to destroy your kingdom; he must have been harboring those already. Judging from the 2 times that someone has worn it in history, The Hat seeks in its wearers individuals that wish to bring about great change and…" Ranaron paused, his words becoming shaky and more hushed:

"…Are willing to do so at the cost of harming or manipulating countless others. The Hat does not cause its wearers to feel any different; rather, it amplifies their anger and thirst for death." Ranaron gulped, glancing around the room nervously.

"You seem to have grown extremely nervous when speaking about this Hat. Does its influence reach you here?" Octus asked.

"No. It's just that the words I have spoken are blasphemous," Ranaron admitted. "But they are true as well. The Hat—or, if I were to use the name that only its oracles may use—Achillacasus—is the instrument through which Modula is able to control the Mutradi, from the wisest Cephalovican to the dumbest Nephilimite. To explain the origins of the Achillacasus would be a long story, so instead I'll skip ahead to when Modula and the King first landed on Mutrad and how the Hat came into Modula's possession."

"Go ahead. No one can hurt you here," Ilana reassured him.

"I know. Still, I feel quite worried imparting this information," Ranaron replied. But then with a scowl he added, "But I am tired living my life in subordination and fear. I'm tired of being docile! If what I say inspires you to bring peace to our worlds, even at a great cost, then so be it." And so Ranaron began his tale.

**AN: These next few chapters are going to be a lot of backstory we didn't get to see. The chapters following that involve the documents (remember those?) which deal with what Modula's plan is for Galaluna once the rebellion is crushed, as well as any other information needed that the show never got to tell us about.**

**Also, I feel like I should warn you that I've been forced to add a lot of original information for the sake of the show. I'm saying that because I don't want a bunch of reviews consisting of "So THIS is what made Modula the way he is? What a dumb idea!" It's time for the numerous mysteries and ambiguity regarding Modula and why he wears that hat to be revealed, and I felt like now was a good time.**

**But if you see some piece of information or concept that you think just doesn't belong in Sym-Bionic Titan (or more importantly, a plot hole!) let me know in a review or PM.**


	5. Dialogues and interruptions

Chapter 5

"I don't know if you were aware of this when you were both children," Ranaron began, "But Modula's friendship with your fathers grew to disdain and contempt, shortly after you were born."

"It's something we've never really thought about," Lance admitted. "I can't believe my dad trusted that guy, and now he's trying to kill us."

"If they used to all be friends, then what happened?" Ilana wondered. Ranaron frowned.

"I don't know the full story, but from what Modula explained to us Mutradi before the coup, he despised both of your respective fathers because of their gentleness and desire to be liked and respected by the people under them."

"What's wrong with that?" Ilana demanded. "Why would having everyone like you be a _bad_ thing?"

"According to Modula, ideas such as what you just said reveal weakness. Modula despises weakness, as you would expect, and he also despises those who would rather win the favor of their subjects than use their power to strike fear into their hearts and force them to obey. And we Mutradi agree…or at least we all used to."

"What kind of motivation is that? So Modula wants to kill my father and take over my home just because he doesn't like the way my father runs things?! Why couldn't he just be more civil about this and tell him what he was doing 'wrong'?!" Ilana clenched her fists and stared at the ground, furious at Modula what she saw as very poor motivations to ruin her life. Lance took her shaking fists and clasped them in his own larger hands.

"Ilana, relax. Ranaron hasn't told us everything. And it doesn't really matter what Modula's motivations are. We still have to stop him regardless of how he views us." It occurred to Lance that he had never really seen Ilana get this angry before. Sure, she had had her share of frustration, but never pure rage like this.

"Sorry, Ranaron. I promise I won't interrupt again," Ilana said as she relaxed. Lance stepped away from her and let the frog Mutradi continue.

"He saw the fact that both of his old friends had had children as a sign of their further deterioration," Ranaron went on, "But throughout this, so he told us Mutradi, he kept his feelings about the matter private. Otherwise, your fathers surely would have been suspicious. At this point Modula wanted to overthrow the King, but there was something in his mind that prevented him from initiating his treason—his conscience, a sense of morality that told him that murder and civil unrest were 'wrong' and not a desirable way to achieve one's goals."

"And the Hat removed these last mental restraints, correct?" Octus asked. Ranaron nodded, but his story was nowhere near being finished.

"Around this same time, the Rift Gate was being invented by your father," Ranaron went on, looking at Lance as he said this.

"Yeah. I remember how this went; first my dad showed the invention to a bunch of people and used an apple, and then he got an old aircraft to fly through and wind up somewhere else on the planet, and eventually the King trusted him enough so that he used it all the time. But he never left the planet."

"I never got to go through the Rift Gate until we left for Earth," Ilana admitted. "Daddy never let me ride in his private ship with him when he had to use it go someplace far away on another planet." Ranaron nodded, wishing to continue with his story. But at the pace it was going, he knew the teens wouldn't be able to fill in the blanks much longer. Octus, meanwhile, stayed silent, mostly because this had all happened prior to his construction, and therefore he had no memories of these events and only had the testimony of others to go by.

"Although you already know about when the Rift Gate was invented it, I mentioned this to give context to when the expedition took place. Shortly after the Rift Gate was invented, Edward invented a telescope that could see far beyond its predecessors—and it was then that my planet was first directly observed by your people. Of course, we had already known about each other before, but due to the fact that Edward knew so little of Mutrad he decided not to give it a name until he could observe it directly."

"What was the old name for Mutrad? I can never remember," Ilana asked.

"It was previously referred to as Tykos, although Edward discouraged the use of the name. His influence caused it to be renamed to Mutrad," Octus explained. Although he wasn't able to "remember" these sorts of events, he did have some knowledge of Galalunan history programmed into him by the King, most of it being relevant to their mission.

"My people called it Cosov," Ranaron added. "But that is of no importance. The name Mutrad stuck, imposed on us by foreigners. But it is a more fitting name now, I think. But enough about that; the important thing is that after observing Mutrad, Edward set about preparing an expedition to the planet. But then he died."

"Allegedly," Lance corrected him. His father was very much still alive. Ranaron's eyes widened in surprise.

"He is?"

"Yeah, I thought you know that," Lance added.

"Forgive me. The process through which I came back to my old self is still a blur. What exactly happened?" Ranaron asked.

"Shortly after you proposed to give us information," Octus explained, "G3 arrived and injected you with a massive amount of sedative drugs. A large quantity was needed due to your size. The G3 hangar—large enough even to hold Titan—was used to operate on you. Under the guidance of Edward, your body was subjected to a de-mutation process, restoring you back to the way you had been. Lance, Ilana and I did not take part, and the process took several days." Ranaron nodded in understanding.

"I see. Well, now, let's get on with the story, shall we?" Ranaron declared, hoping that there was nothing else that he was left in the dark on. "Various scientists and soldiers volunteered to go on the first expedition to Mutrad. People with all sorts of skills were willing to volunteer, since they had no way of knowing what they would find or what would be needed once they arrived on the planet. Edward had originally decided to go, of course, but after his disappearance and _alleged _death, the King volunteered to take his place."

"I remember when I was little, and people were marching around the palace. I thought they were angry that Edward died," Ilana chimed in.

"No," Ranaron informed her, "According to Modula Galalunans all over the planet appeared at the palace to protest what they thought was very risky move on the part of the King. They loved him dearly and couldn't stand to see him go. And they were right to be worried; any sort of problems could have occurred, especially with Modula—he had volunteered as well-on board."

"Why did Modula want to go?" Lance asked. "I remember this expedition being talked about, but it didn't interest me. My dad wasn't involved with it anymore, so I didn't really care what was happening outside the Academy," he explained.

"I believe it was the Achillacasus that compelled him to go," Ranaron replied. "It called him to our planet—for its own reasons that aligned perfectly with Modula's desires."

"That's ridiculous. Hats can't talk!" Lance scoffed, but the others ignored him.

"So the Hat is using Modula? For what?" Ilana asked.

"It is not that simple," Ranaron explained. "I must first explain to you how Modula came to possess it, when the expeditionary group first arrived on our planet. We were expecting them. I was around the same age you both are now at the time, but even in my youth I knew that this was the day that everything would change. The prophecy was being fulfilled at last; the Achillacasus had chosen its host."

**AN: Sorry if this chapter was a little dull. I had to have all the dialogue set up the scene for the next chapter.**

**My idea in regards to the expedition that we will hear about in the next chapter came from some of the dialogue in the first episode. If my memory is correct, the King was surprised to see that Modula was leading the coup and asked why he would betray them. Modula claims it was because they "left [him] to die" on Mutrad, implying that Galalunans had been on the planet before the coup. To clarify, this expedition is the first space flight in Galaluna's history to Mutrad; the first time the two worlds have interacted. The King argues that there was nothing they could do to save him, and that they thought he was already dead. But the Mutradi actually didn't actually kill him, obviously…**

**BUT! Do you really want to hear THAT story first, or another story involving Mutrad, one that's far older (and that our heroes had no idea about)? It also involves the Hat/Achillcasus. Answer my poll to decide which story Ranaron tells first!**

**Ok, I know the poll wasn't there at first but NOW it is. So please go vote or I'll just have to pick for myself!**

**Update: Still nobody has voted. I really don't want to have to start PMing people.**


	6. The one who did not bow

Chapter 6

Edward's ship finally touched down on the surface of Galaluna 2 days after liftoff. The scientist had the ship programmed to scan the surface of Mutrad for suitable terrain to land on, and after a few minutes of orbiting the ship automatically sent itself downward.

"What did Edward say we were supposed to do if the ship starts plummeting on the planet?!" Modula cried out nervously to his shipmates.

"He said _when, _Modula, not if," Lucius (the King) reminded him. "It's supposed to go down quickly like that, remember? And don't worry, the technicians are already deploying the re-entry casing metal. All we have to do is buckle up and prepare for a bumpy landing." Modula growled and join Edward as the two men strapped themselves in. The crew had been allowed to wander the cabin for a while in weightlessness (another aspect of space travel that Modula had declared to abhor) and artificial gravity was activated as the ship began its descent.

"Shouldn't this flying hunk of metal have thrusters or jets of some kind to ease its descent, like the Manus robots? Or at least some landing gear of some sort or something?"

"Edward had been working on that," Lucius mused, "But a few weeks before he died he told me that he hadn't been able to perfect any of that. He came up with the method of landing we're using now and assured me that our next flights, if we were to continue this space program, would probably have the things you're mentioning."

"Oh," Modula said, not wanting to linger on how Edward died—not because he was filled with grief by it as Lucius assumed, but because he wanted to hide his annoyance at not waiting until _after _Edward had perfected landing from space before he had sent him hurtling to that planet he seemed to like. What had he called it? Perth? Urth?

"I know that this isn't your favorite place in the world to be right now," Lucius went on, "But try to appreciate the historical significance of this visit. It will be the first time our worlds make contact. Who knows what we could learn from each other? You should feel privileged for getting to take part in this. I know Edward certainly would. No matter what happens, Modula, I want you to remember that we're doing this for him."

"Very well, then. For Edward's sake I'll stay on this wretched brown sludge ball as long as I need to."

"That's the spirit! Well, don't tell the Mutradi that you think their planet is a sludge ball, but you get the idea."

When the ship landed, the Galalunans filed out. General Modula was the second to last to leave the ship, right before the King, who withdrew a Lanron counter from his suit. The device looked and functioned like a Geiger counter, but seeing as Hans Geiger did not exist on Galaluna the object was instead named for Kanus Lanron, the Galalunan who had done similar work in his place.

"The radiation is higher than home's, but it's not dangerous enough to cause any health problems unless we decide to take up residency here for 5 years or so," Lucius remarked. Whipping out another device, this one made by Edward, he was able to check out the contents of Mutrad's atmosphere.

"Slightly high amounts of Radon, but otherwise it's a Nitrogen-Oxygen atmosphere like Galaluna," The King announced. "In fact, it's so much like our own that I don't think we need these!"

"YOUR MASJESTY, NO!" Modula cried in horror as Lucius took off his helmet, much to the shock of everyone. Modula quickly took a deep breath and took off his own helmet, and he would have placed it on the King's head if Lucius hadn't pushed it away.

"Don't be so nervous, Modula. Everything's fine!" Lucius inhaled and exhaled normally to demonstrate. The other Galalunans nervously took off their helmets and breathed, finding that the King was correct. Modula finally gasped for breath last, feeling humiliated when he found that he didn't die from it.

"Just because the atmosphere is safe doesn't mean that the planet is!" Modula protested as Lucius walked off without him, eager to explore this new world.

He could see that this part of Mutrad was a mostly barren place; the soil was mostly rocky and brown, and vast expanses completely devoid of plant life stretched out before him. The only things sticking out were formations of rock, some of them as small as mounds, others tall enough to be mountains, and still others with openings that led into caves or deep underground. The sky above them was a misty yellowish gray, and they could only faintly make out the stars above them. Galaluna was still visible, though.

"It's strange that no one was here to witness our arrival," Lucius mused as he, Modula and the rest of the group wandered northward in search of intelligent life.

"They were probably all terrified by the sight of giant metal object crashing on their planet," Modula replied, trying to conceal the cynicism in his tone. "Perhaps coming here was a mistake," he suggested, looking longingly at his home from this alien world.

"Don't be so negative about it! We'll find someone eventually. And if we don't find anyone today, we can stay here for as long as we need to until we find a civilization. We already know there's life here thanks to Edward's telescope; we just have to find it!"

While Lucius was speaking, he heard one of the accompanying soldiers cry in horror, "Up in the sky!" Everyone turned to look up and covered their eyes as a blinding red light came over them. They all felt a rush of wind as a creature they couldn't quite make out swooped down and landed 50 yards or so behind them, its feet and wings barely missing the ship. When the creature stopped emitting light, it was revealed to resemble a giant bat.

"I think Edward said he saw a few of those things flying around when he looked at the planet," Lucius whispered to Modula. The pair was the farthest away from the Mutradi.

"What about the man on top of it?" Modula asked, pointing to a figure that was now climbing down the back of the giant bat. The Galalunan soldiers that had come on the mission pointed their weapons at the figure, a red creature wearing a hood and holding a staff.

"Our mission is a peaceful one, but we'll shoot if we must!" one of them said timidly. The King rushed over to the humanoid Mutradi, parting his way through the soldiers.

"This is no way to behave in front of the first representatives of this planet!" Lucius bowed to the creature and said, "It is not likely that you understand our language, but please understand that we come in peace and wish for harmony between our 2 worlds." To demonstrate this point, the King kneeled before the creatures in submission, trying to convey that he, as a guest in their land, was at their mercy. The Galalunans followed his lead and dropped their weapons, also kneeling. Only Modula stood before the Mutradi.

"I don't kneel to strangers," he said stubbornly. The Mutradi had no idea what he was saying, but he could tell that the way this creature was not making any submissive gestures like the rest of his kind was a sign.

"Well?" Modula asked, pointing his blaster at the Mutradi. The Mutradi place a tentacle on the giant bat's forehead, and when he let go the bat took off with a rush of wind. Lucius and the others looked up to watch it fly away, but they retained their kneeling postures. Seeing that the King was still kneeling and the General was still standing, the red Mutradi's eyes began to glow a light green color, and he muttered something in his language.

. . . . .

"What was he saying?" Lance asked Ranaron, who frowned when he saw that he was being interrupted yet again. And since he was a frog it was a pretty big frown.

"I was just about to tell you!" Ranaron replied in irritation.

"Sorry, I didn't know!"

"The Somortite scout—that was the species that they met, you 3 fought one of them once—was using telepathy to tell his superiors that he had found the Galalunans. We Mutradi had been anticipating your species' arrival when we detected the ship being launched from your planet. He also told them how your King had kneeled, and how Modula had most noticeably had not. The superior that the Somortite had told was Delphox, an oracle who he believed would be able to interpret that sort of sign. Although, personally, I believe the symbolism was quite obvious."

"Which was?" Lance asked impatiently.

"The one that stood was not going to submit himself willingly to the Mutradi," Octus explained. "If he was not willing to submit, then it was implied by his refusal that he would rather rule over the Mutradi instead."

"How do you know?" Lance demanded.

"As Ranaron said, the symbolism is obvious," Octus stated.

"So then when they thought Modula was a threat the Mutradi captured my father and the others?" Ilana asked. "I remember dad telling me about this," she explained.

"Not quite," Ranaron corrected her. "You see, Modula's refusal to submit was interpreted by Delphox as a sign that this man was an ideal host for the Achillcasus—someone who was defiant to authority, even if it came in the form of a person whom he respected, as we found out when we Mutradi came to understand his and Lucius' past friendship. Delphox knew that although Modula would likely resist, once they could get the Hat on him he would be the one of all the Galalunans that had arrived that would be most likely to receive it without harm."

"Without harm?" the others asked.

"I will explain that later," Ranaron reassured them. "I must get on with the story..."

. . . . .

As soon as the Somortite had finished speaking, he used his staff to emit a powerful energy field to grab all of the Galalunans.

"What are you doing? We mean you no harm!" Lucius protested.

"It's your fault for bowing to them! Now they think we're all willing to be their slaves!" Modula protested.

"No, that can't be it! And why would he leave his…whatever that Mutradi he was riding on—to fly off without him or us?" Lucius asked. As he tried to figure out the possibilities, he heard a screeching sound, and the bat-like Mutradi reappeared with 2 more figures on his back: a creature with long tentacles that looked like a fusion between a cockroach and a squid, and a green, humanoid creature with unusual appendages sticking out of its head. The tentacled Mutradi had yellow eyes, while the green Mutradi had red ones. They also contrasted in that the green one was wearing a white robe while the tentacled one wore no clothes, apparently not needing any.

The 3 Mutradi spoke to one another in what seemed to be different languages, glancing at their prisoners occasionally. Finally the tentacled Mutradi approached one of the soldiers and crawled inside its mouth, trying to seek information. The other Galalunans were horrified by this barbaric practice. They could even hear the Mutradi speaking to the soldier in its native tongue, and the Galalunan could only reply:

"But…we come in…peace!"

"What do you think it's doing?! Inserting its eggs!?" Lucius asked nervously to Modula.

"I don't know, let's just wait and see." Eventually the tentacled Mutradi emerged, perfectly normal, and as the soldier it had entered shook in fear from what had happened to him, he spoke to the other two Mutradi.

. . . . .

"Now, the King and Modula did not know what they were saying at the time," Ranaron began, "But word traveled fast among us Mutradi as to how the conversation went, given its importance to us. Well, that and the Somortite had a good memory and wrote everything down. So now I'll tell you what they said…"

. . . . .

"They seem to be the most receptive to Cephalavicanese," the Cephalavican told Delphox and the Somortite. "Their tongues and vocal chords are quite unlike any of ours."

"Hopefully we can teach them our languages, that will make communication easier. In the meantime, learn theirs as well, Xeexi," Delphox instructed him.

. . . . .

"THAT was Xeexi?!" Lance cried in astonishment. "What was _he _doing there?"

"Yes, it was him! He was serving the oracle like an upstanding Mutradi citizen would do. Now could you please not interrupt again?" Ranaron demanded.

"Him? An outstanding citizen? What kind of an upstanding citizen crawls inside people's mouths and makes them say things they don't want him to know about?"

"All Cephlavicans can do this on unadapted species," Ranaron explained. "But Xeexi was one of the best."

. . . . .

"I will do my best, my oracle," Xeexi said, "But I do not know how much knowledge I could gain."

"Perhaps an exploration into their subconscious minds could give some insight?" the Somortite asked.

"No, Ghubar. Such a thing isn't necessary, as much as you would enjoy it," Delphox insisted. "We have learned enough of them by their actions—especially the one who did not bow. We should now load up the aliens and take them to Yersirin."

"But what if none are meant to wear the Hat?" Xeexi asked. Delphox shook his head.

"Have you no faith, Xeexi? Surely one of them will bring us liberation. I think it is the one that does not bow. Did you get his name from that soldier, Xeexi?"

"Yes. The one that did not bow is Modula, and the one who offered peace is their king, Lucius."

"They sent their king on a potentially dangerous mission?" Delphox asked as Ghubar began to use his telekinesis to levitate the prisoners and place them on the back of the giant bat Mutradi.

"To show that they come in peace," Ghubar said, repeating the King's mantra. Delphox laughed.

"They may come in peace, but we certainly hope at least one of them is willing to lead us to more."

**AN: Sorry I didn't update this before. I just have a bunch of other fanfics going on and wanted to show you all that I haven't forgotten this one. I'll be putting some of my other stories on hiatus soon, so this one should get some more attention eventually.**


End file.
